Gracia: "We will have to be very active against SD Eibar"

Before his team travel to Ipurua for LaLiga's Monday night fixture, Valencia CF coach Javi Gracia previewed the game in his pre-match press conference.

A tough fixture against SD Eibar

"We are preparing the game like we do for every other team, focusing on the conditions that we believe may affect the match. The dimensions of their pitch are somewhat smaller and their style of play also means that the game is played within a few metres. It is going to be a very hard fought match, and we will have to be aware of the second balls, work hard and try to take advantage of our quality. It's going to be a very hectic match. We know the potential that Eibar have. We have prepared with all that in mind, knowing that play will be concentrated into a few metres for many minutes, and we will have to be very active."

Continuity for the team

"For me, having a game on Monday seems like an opportunity to add points. We are seeing that, at this moment in the season, winning a game means going up to seventh or eighth position in the table. It's something that I don't consider so important right now. What really concerns me is the team's performance, and trying to make that better every day. The results will be a consequence of that work, and of playing games at a good level. The continuity that we are experiencing will help us achieve better results and improve our spot in the table. I'm confident that we are going to win games and that we are going to improve our position."

Making progress

"We all believe that we are making progress. The team have given a better showing of ourselves and we have been closer to winning than to losing, although in some games anything could have happened -like the match against Getafe CF. We are competing well. We knew that it was going to be difficult against Atletico Madrid. You have to take away all the good things from the matches: The solidity from some matches, the perseverance from others, the defensive work from others. We are getting closer and closer. We don't want the Éibar match to be a step backwards, and we know that it will be a different game against opponents who will require another type of work. We are convinced that by continuing in the same way we will do well."

Injured players

"The players we have out with muscle injuries are Cillessen, Gayà and Hugo Guillamón, who have worked with their national teams. The other two, Kang In and Cheryshev have also played with their respective national teams. We have five players out and there are several contributing factors, not just the work we do here. We have 38% fewer muscle injuries than last season. When it comes to total injuries, we have 47% fewer this season. And in terms of time on the sidelines we have 62% fewer. This is data contrasted by the medical staff. We put the data out there and we can see that we are not doing so badly. I wanted to protect and show appreciation for the work that the coaching staff and the medical team are doing."

Yunus Musah's development

"Yunus is a player who is growing. He is a young kid who is performing very well and we have to be understanding of how young he is. We try to help him with all of that. We all see as a player with a good present and a great future."

Racic's potential

"I don't consider Racic a defensive pivot in the midfield. He is a complete player who can play alongside teammates with different characteristics, be they more offensive or defensive, because he has the ability to play in different ways. Due to his characteristics he is an important player in the air, defending crosses from the wings. He has to be a player who helps us to be stronger. We have to make the team more solid and the midfielders are helping with that, despite not being specifically defensive in their roles."

Maxi Gomez

"He is always important. He has been important, he will be in Eibar and he will continue to be so after that. He is extremely important to us and has a very high level of efficiency in front of goal. He has had some discomfort, but as far as I know he has trained normally now. He may not feel 100% fit, but that has not prevented him from training normally with the rest of his teammates this week."

The defensive situation

"We have lost Hugo Guillamón, but we have got Diakhaby back. We have no problems with either Diakhaby or Mangala playing against SD Eibar, because they are two great players for this type of match."